KUCHING: The 15th general election held in November this year saw Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) fielding five women candidates.
All five went on to make a clean sweep of the seats.
Of the five, one of them is Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), who delivered the Sri Aman seat for the coalition, making her the first-ever Dayak woman parliamentarian.
The others are Kota Samarahan MP Datuk Rubiah Wang, Mukah MP Datuk Hanifah Taib, Santubong MP Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and Batang Sadong MP Rodiyah Sapiee, who have shown outstanding performances in the recently concluded general election.
Doris, who stood on the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ticket, garnered 14,131 votes with a 4,039 majority in a four-cornered fight against Parti Sarawak Bersatu’s Wilson Entabang (10,092), Independent Datuk Masir Kujat (5,673) and Pakatan Harapan’s Tay Wei Wei (2,021).
She managed to wrest the seat from incumbent Masir, who contested as an independent after winning the seat in the 14th general election (GE14).
She is no stranger to the political scene. Before being an MP, she was also the first Sarawakian woman to be appointed senator and Deputy Speaker of Dewan Negara on Jan 26, 2012.
She was then appointed as a political secretary to the Premier in 2016 and has continued to diligently carry out her duty to this day.
On the election results, she said she was humbled by the outcome and expressed her gratitude to all the constituents and the populace of Sri Aman for their support.
“I would also like to thank our three state assemblymen for their moral support and ground campaigning during the election period.
“Likewise all other good Samaritans who have worked 24 hours round the clock to allow a smooth election process here,” she told New Sarawak Tribune when prompted to comment on her win.
The three state seats which make up Sri Aman are Balai Ringin, Bukit Begunan and Simanggang – which are all represented by assemblymen from GPS, namely, Datuk Snowdan Lawan (PRS), Datuk Mong Dagang (PRS) and Datuk Francis Harden Hollis of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP). With Doris winning the seat, it is now a complete puzzle, with all elected representatives from GPS.
She pledges to be a wakil rakyat for all and looks forward to working with everyone across the board in Sri Aman.
In PRS, one of the component parties of GPS, Doris is the chief of the Women’s wing, a position she helmed which enabled her to listen closely to the voices of the women.
Comrades also vouched for her competency and her diligence, saying Doris had been moving on the ground extensively not only in Sri Aman but throughout Sarawak, particularly in PRS-held constituencies.
PRS was allocated six parliamentary seats, namely, Sri Aman, Kanowit, Hulu Rajang, Selangau, Julau and Lubok Antu and in GE15, PRS managed to win five out of the six seats mentioned.
Quoting an interview from The Sun, Doris said being a woman in a male-dominated world was challenging but that did not stop her from speaking up.
“Persistence pays, and what is important is that I always make sure my delivery is concrete and of substance, and men can accord respect when women speak up and prove a point,” she said.
With the establishment of the Sri Aman Development Agency (SADA) which was formed in 2019, she said she would study the development masterplan and work hand-in-hand with the aforementioned GPS assemblymen within the Sri Aman constituency.
Issues linking to the people’s welfare, infrastructure, education and healthcare will be her primary focus.
Aside from creating history by becoming the first-ever Dayak woman MP, she further stressed the importance of serving the people of Sri Aman, to ensure that the well-being of the people there was maintained.
Being the first Dayak woman MP, Doris also proves that gender is no longer an issue for an individual to lead and participate in the political arena.
“Let us rise above gender issues and instead strive forward as one for the betterment and progression of the Dayak community,” a daily quoted her.
A 24-year-old Sri Aman voter, Nani Oslo, expressed her pride with Doris winning the seat, saying it was an inspiration for all women, especially in pursuing to achieve the same status as men.
“Aside from the gender stereotyping where women are often deemed unfit to be a leader, this has caused them (women) to be insecure with their capabilities.
“Doris’ victory proves that women can also achieve what men can do, despite the invisible ceiling that limits women’s capability in achieving something higher or equal to what men can achieve.
“Nevertheless, equality and inequality will always exist between men and women in various qualities but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible to overcome it,” said Nani.
